1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of computing technology, and more particularly, to methods and structures for optimizing the performance and fault tolerance of a computing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well known, computer systems typically include a processor, a main memory, and a secondary storage memory. Normally, the processor is a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, the main memory is Random Access Memory (RAM), and the secondary storage is a hard disk drive. As the information such as data and instructions in RAM and the hard disk drives are executed by the processor, data protection has become one of the chief concerns in designing RAM and hard disk drives. Specifically, data protection is important as valuable data stored in hard disk drives, or temporarily held in RAM, can be lost due to abnormal occurrences such as human errors, equipment failures, and adverse environmental conditions.
FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified schematic diagram of a host adapter chip 102 of the prior art as it includes a dedicated memory 104, a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) Input/Output Processor (RAID IOP) adapter chip 108, and a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) host adapter chip 110. As shown, the host adapter chip 102 is designed to be plugged into the primary PCI bus using a plug 112. As also shown, the RAID IOP is coupled to the dedicated memory 104 through a bus 106.
Typically, the dedicated memory 104 can be either soldered to the motherboard or be a Dual In-Line Memory Module (DIMM) that is plugged onto the host adapter chip 102 or a memory chip (not shown in the Figure). Irrespective of being soldered to the motherboard or being a DIMM, the larger the size of the dedicated memory 104 is, the better the performance of the computer system will be. For that reason, use of larger memory sizes has become a predominate trend. DIMMs have specifically played a significant role in promoting the use of expanded memory, because additional DIMMs can be added as a need for additional memory arises.
Despite its advantages, using DIMMs has proven to be less than reliable. That is, despite using multiple DIMMs, the failure of one DIMM to function properly is disastrous and costly, as it results in system shut down. In one example, specifically, the failure of one DIMM used on the host adapter chip results in the failure of the host adapter chip 102, which ultimately causes corruption of data. In such situation, the entire computing system must be shut down causing a significant loss. Additionally, shutting down the entire computer system further creates unknown effects on system components and data stored therein. Furthermore, eliminating the problem requires the replacement of the DIMM, subsequent to which, requires the reconfiguration of the entire system.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a new methodology and apparatus for improving the performance and fault tolerance of computer systems through improving data integrity.